What's Blooming

Scarlet Jade Vine (Mucuna bennettii)

The scarlet jade vine (Mucuna bennettii) might win the award for the most conspicuous bloomer here at Gardens by the Bay and it’s not difficult to see why. This large woody climber produces several pendulous clusters of fiery red-orange flowers along its woody stems. Each of the clusters can reach a metre in length and hold as much as 80 claw-shaped flowers at a time! 

A native to the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, this leguminous liana blooms seasonally here in Singapore, most likely triggered after a bout of heavy rain. We first observed them flowering in the Gardens in 2013, with a measly count of about ten flower spikes on a single plant. These lianas only bloomed once a year until a few years ago, when they started to flower as often as two to three times annually, producing more and more inflorescences with every blooming cycle.

Some of you might have noticed that the flowers of the scarlet jade vine might resemble those of another climber that was featured previously. As the common name suggests, it borrows part of its name from the closely related jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys), which bears unique greenish-blue inflorescences - a colour rarely seen in the botanical world!

Come down to the Gardens and spot the scarlet jade vines in full bloom at these four locations: the pergolas at Supertree Grove near the Chinese Garden staircase and behind Indian Garden (Heritage Gardens), the bridge above the Koi Pond and the pergola near Floral Clock.

This article is part of our What's Blooming series.